{"id":308136,"date":"2010-02-11T15:32:40","date_gmt":"2010-02-11T20:32:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/illinoiseducationassociation.org\/?p=5810"},"modified":"2010-02-11T15:32:40","modified_gmt":"2010-02-11T20:32:40","slug":"in-the-news-feb-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/308136","title":{"rendered":"In the News ~ Feb. 11"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Below are<\/strong>\u00a0links to news stories of interest from\u00a0newspapers that came up during a search\u00a0today.\u00a0\u00a0These links were active at the time of this e-mail, but should you want to save a story, printing it or cutting and pasting the entire article and saving it to\u00a0your computer is recommended.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

State News\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n
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State set to cut funding for schools<\/a>
\nSuburban Chicago News –\u00a0 Current negotiations in Springfield could result in 10 percent cuts to the state’s school funding foundation level, meaning millions less in state aid to local schools.\u00a0 State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, an Aurora Democrat who chairs the Elementary and Secondary Education Appropriations Committee, said this week the state budget crisis will likely affect general state aid, lately the only consistent funding source from Springfield to local schools.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Record number of Ill. students take AP exams<\/a>
\nDecatur WAND (NBC) 17 – The Illinois State Board of Education says a record numbers of Illinois students took Advanced Placement exams last year. But the proportion of students who passed the college-level exams continues to decline.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Budget cuts cause unrest in higher education<\/a>\u00a0 The state’s huge budget shortfall is beginning to affect classes at public universities. Ghaziaouf Alph, a pharmacy major at the University of Illinois-Chicago, said, \u201cMy teachers ain\u2019t in class and I have these two substitute teachers who don\u2019t know how to teach nothing. My grades are affected.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Teacher jobs in jeopardy in District 200<\/a>
\nChicago Daily Herald – Warrenville Unit District 200 officials work to address a projected $8.6 million deficit in their 2010-2011 budget. The changes are among roughly $7.7 million in proposed cuts being reviewed by the school board and an advisory finance committee that’s assisting with the budget process. Both panels received the first draft of suggested cuts on Wednesday.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Funding cuts may mean D204 staff cuts<\/a>
\nGlen Ellyn Sun \u2013 If the state of Illinois doesn’t come through with the funding it owes Indian Prairie School District 204, several teachers will likely lose their jobs.\u00a0 “We have not landed on what that number will look like,” said Superintendent Kathy Birkett, who confirmed Wednesday non-tenured staff would feel the hit.\u00a0 In a message to District 204 community members, Birkett explained the effects of the state’s financial woes on education.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

District 21 prepared to make major cuts Thursday night<\/a>
\nChicago Daily Herald – District 21 officials are getting ready to make some tough decisions tonight (Thursday).\u00a0 “I expect by the end of the night the school board will know the direction they want to go,” said Superintendent Gary Mical. “A lot is tied into teacher negotiations that are ongoing.”\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hillsboro Schools Face Tough Choices<\/a>
\nHillsboro Journal News\u00a0 – would have done nothing to improve the forecast. When the current fiscal year ends this summer, Superintendent Powell predicts a $2 million total fund deficit, including $1.8 million in the education fund from which most day-to-day school operation is paid. That projection is provided the state pays its obligations.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Parents plea for limited cuts<\/a>
\nChicago Daily Southtown – As Mokena School District 159 moves forward on deep cuts to its programming for next year, plenty of residents aren’t letting those programs go without a fight.\u00a0 Hundreds of people crowded Wednesday night’s school board meeting at Mokena Elementary School, pleading with board members for a chance to weigh in on what gets slashed from the 2010-11 district budget.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

Adviser gives District 165 board members look at financial future<\/a>
\nCrystal Lake Northwest Herald – During its first meeting since the failed referendum, the District 165 school board reviewed a potential financial forecast. Howard Crouse, senior financial adviser with Naperville-based PMA Financial Network, presented an example of a similar, but larger school district during a special board meeting Wednesday night.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Making a run for it: Two school districts participate in \u2018Race to the Top\u2019<\/a>
\nFreeport Journal Standard\u00a0 – More than 40 percent of Illinois school districts, including Freeport School District 145 and Eastland School District 308, have laced up their running shoes to participate in \u201cRace to the Top,\u201d a federal competitive grant program intended to drive education reform. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Geneva school salaries not the highest, not the lowest, district says<\/a>
\nArlington Heights Daily Herald – Are Geneva teachers paid too much, too little, or just enough? This week the school board released a teacher staffing and salary study, comparing Geneva to 19 other suburban districts. It is one of several comparative studies the board has requested as it prepares to make decisions about what to spend money on for the 2010-11 fiscal year.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

MHS teachers, school board negotiation stall<\/a>
\nMundelein Review – Terrence Napolski, president of the Mundelein Education Association, which represents 138 teachers, counselors and other certificated employees in the district, said teachers have been working without a contract since the beginning of the current school year and there has been little movement in contract negotiations over the past several months.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Woodland teachers union cries foul<\/a>
\nStreator Times-Press – The Woodland Education Association is filing an unfair labor practice complaint against the Woodland School Board.\u00a0 According to association President Deidre Toler, the union is unhappy with the board’s handling of the recovery of $217,360.96 overpaid to 75 current and former teachers between the 2004-05 school year and the 2007-2008 school year.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Proviso District 209 hires lobbying firm to recoup funds<\/a>
\nMaywood Herald – The Proviso School District 209 Board of Education approved a $30,000 contract with a lobbying firm to find money from Springfield to avoid teacher layoffs. Paul Williams and Associates will look for potential sources of funding and lobby state officials to finance educational programming and capital improvements in District 209.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

North Mac board to be seated Wednesday<\/a>
\nSpringfield State Journal Register – The newly elected North Mac Board of education will be seated Wednesday. The meeting is set for 7 p.m. on the Girard campus. The Girard and Virden school districts will merge into the North Mac School District on July 1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

OUR VIEW: The intent and reality of state fees<\/a>
\nFreeport Journal Standard – Farmers are about to find out what educators learned a long time ago.\u00a0\u00a0 Money collected by the State of Illinois goes into the general fund. From that fund, monies are mixed with other revenue sources and eventually flow like a river in the general direction of Chicago.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

School bus driver to wrap up 39-year career<\/a>
\nSpringfield State Journal Register – Nancie Klein\u2019s career as a school bus driver started on a dare. \u201cA friend said, \u2018You could never drive a school bus,\u2019 and I thought, if I can drive a farm truck, I can drive a school bus,\u201d the 80-year-old former farm wife said.\u00a0 Sure enough, Klein could. She since has spent nearly 39 years hauling children to and from school across the A-C Central School District, serving generations of families and covering thousands of miles of country roads in the process.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chicago schools\u2019 growing environmental options<\/a>
\nMedill News Service – The Chicago Public Schools have recently come under scrutiny for their use of disposable trays and the amount of food waste they throw away, but school officials say they\u2019re doing what they can to be more environmentally conscious.\u00a0 \u201cOur issue here is that we\u2019re a district of 670 schools,\u201d CPS spokesman Frank Shuftan said.\u00a0 \u201cEverything we do has to be geared towards dealing with that volume. There\u2019s a cost issue.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Plan strips school councils of power to pick principals<\/a>
\nChicago Sun Times – Hundreds of parent-led local school councils would be stripped of the critical power to pick principals under a bill introduced this week by the Rev. James Meeks, head of the Senate education Committee. Plus, up to 42,000 students at 65 of the city’s lowest-scoring public schools would be entitled to tuition vouchers to attend private or parochial schools under an amendment\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Political News\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/h2>\n

Glass half empty, mayor and state seek more stimulus<\/a>
\nMedill News Service\u00a0 – If a kid blows his weekly allowance the minute he gets it, mom and dad usually aren\u2019t too forgiving. But what if he\u2019s spent only half that allowance and asks for an advance?\u00a0 In this case, replace the child with Mayor Richard M. Daley and mom and dad with the federal government. And that weekly allowance is what most call stimulus money.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dillard says Jim Ryan cost him an outright win<\/a>
\nWestern Springs Doings – Had former Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan not entered the GOP gubernatorial race, state Sen. Kirk Dillard, R-24th, of Hinsdale said he would have “handily” won the nomination. The fact that DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom still got 7,000 votes despite dropping out also hurt his chances of a clear victory.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Our View: Dems should look downstate<\/a>
\nDeKalb Daily Chronicle – Democrats across the state are breathing a collective sigh of relief after Scott Lee Cohen tearfully stepped aside Sunday from the lieutenant governor\u2019s nomination that he won Feb. 2. Party leaders now will choose a replacement running mate for Gov. Pat Quinn in the Nov. 2 election.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Madigan wants lieutenant governor job gone<\/a>\u00a0 Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has proposed legislation to end the state office of lieutenant governor. The proposal would abolish the elected office in 2015 and designate the Illinois attorney general as the governor’s successor, if needed.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Is ‘diversity’ a consideration for lt. gov?<\/a>
\nChicago WLS (ABC) 7 – Democratic leaders don’t like talking about it publicly, but some believe the party’s fall ticket should be more diverse. They also believe that Cohen’s resignation allows the party a chance to add diversity, which is why two Asian Americans are getting serious buzz.<\/p>\n

Duckworth has flaws Quinn needs to see<\/a>
\nChicago Daily Southtown \u2013 Phil Kadner – Gov. Patrick Quinn may want to think twice about lobbying for Tammy Duckworth as his running mate in November’s election.\u00a0 Duckworth is an assistant secretary for public and intergovernmental affairs with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Before that, she was director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, appointed by Gov. Rod Blagojevich in 2006.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Former state official engaged in ‘decadent’ behavior, ethics commission finds<\/a>
\nSpringfield State Journal Register – A former top-ranking official in the state Department of Healthcare and Family Services engaged in \u201cdecadent\u201d behavior, didn\u2019t show up for work and used her state computer for viewing pornography and other personal activity, according to a report released by the Illinois Executive Ethics Commission.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bernard Schoenburg: Money only 1 part of a winning mix, says Plummer<\/a>
\nSpringfield State Journal Register – The family of JASON PLUMMER, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, spent $1.3 million or more on his race, but Plummer doesn\u2019t think money alone led to his victory. \u201cThe reality of the situation is, there\u2019s a lot of things that are important,\u201d Plummer said by telephone from his hometown of Edwardsville\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Blagojevich maintains ‘not guilty’ plea<\/a>
\nCrains Chicago Business –\u00a0 Ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich pleaded not guilty Wednesday to revised federal corruption charges and challenged prosecutors to allow jurors to hear all of the FBI’s recordings of his telephone conversations. Sounding unusually combative after the brief hearing, Blagojevich told reporters he would not ask Judge James B. Zagel to prevent jurors from hearing FBI wiretaps in which prosecutors say\u00a0<\/p>\n

Blagojevich brother pleads not guilty<\/a>\u00a0 The brother of ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich has pleaded not guilty to revised federal corruption charges.\u00a0 Robert Blagojevich says he is in the fight of his life and admits ties to his brother have been strained by the case.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Opinion: Time for Obama to go gangsta on GOP<\/a>\u00a0 Civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer made famous the phrase, “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.”\u00a0 For me, I’m sick and tired of Democrats having power and being unwilling to use it. I’ve always respected Republicans when they had power because they were willing to use it and maybe apologize\u00a0<\/p>\n

National News <\/em><\/h2>\n

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Sec. Duncan Addresses Senate, Pushes Student Loan Industry Overhaul<\/a>\u00a0 AACRAO Transcript\u00a0– On Tuesday, Education Secretary Arne Duncan reaffirmed his support of President Obama’s plan to overhaul the student loan industry, reports the Washington …\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Childhood obesity linked to early death: US study<\/a>\u00a0 AFP\u00a0–\u00a0 Being obese as a child increases the risk of dying before you reach 55, says a study published Wednesday, a day after US First Lady Michelle …\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Trimming the Fat<\/a>\u00a0 Wall Street Journal\u00a0– ? Rarely is there much good to say about the Obama Administration’s health-care agenda, so its childhood anti-obesity campaign is a welcome turn. …\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

TIME.com Today’s Top Stories<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n

What Went Wrong at Toyota<\/a>\u00a0 It was the world’s most admired automaker, a company that had redefined manufacturing. Then the recalls started. What can other firms learn from a corporate culture that went horribly wrong?<\/p>\n

It’s Her Party: The Brilliance of Sarah Palin<\/a>\u00a0 Sarah Palin is clever, deceptive and infuriating \u2014 which makes her the Republicans’ most potent force<\/p>\n

\u00a0Iran’s Anniversary: The Opposition Tries to Thwart a Crackdown<\/a>\u00a0 As Tehran presses it nuclear program forward, its political crisis continues, with every anniversary an occasion for protest\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Will Lindsey Vonn Have to Drop Out of the Games?<\/a>\u00a0 U.S. skier Lindsey Vonn, whom NBC and other marketers are betting will captivate Olympic audiences like Michael Phelps did, could pull out of the Games \u00a0<\/p>\n

Post-Partum Depression: Signaled During Pregnancy?<\/a>\u00a0 Studies suggest that so-called antenatal depression may not only predict postpartum depression in mothers, but also lead to long-term changes in babies’ health and behavior\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most Viewed Articles on washingtonpost.com<\/em><\/h1>\n

1) Most Americans are dissatisfied with government<\/a>\u00a0 Two-thirds of Americans are “dissatisfied” or downright “angry” about the way the federal government is working, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. On average, the public estimates that 53 cents of every tax dollar they send to Washington is “wasted.”<\/p>\n

2) Alexander McQueen found dead at home<\/a>\u00a0 LONDON — British fashion designer Alexander McQueen was found dead at his London home on Thursday, his spokeswoman said. He was 40 years old.<\/p>\n

3) Record blizzard shuts down the government<\/a>\u00a0 John Berry, director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the person who makes the call as to whether federal government employees report to work or not discusses the effects of closing the government during the Blizzard of 2010 and whether further closings may occur.<\/p>\n

4) Palin’s populism: It just might work<\/a>\u00a0 With a well-honed message, the former governor has to be taken seriously.<\/p>\n

5) 2 ex-employees say Blackwater billed government for prostitute<\/a>\u00a0 Two former employees of Blackwater Worldwide have accused the private security contractor of defrauding the government for years with phony billing, including charging for a prostitute, alcohol and spa trips.<\/p>\n

6) What fuels the grass-roots rage<\/a>\u00a0 The field is getting crowded and the intrigues intense as electoral hopes rise.<\/p>\n

7) At unmanned NW Safeway, honor system is reported<\/a>\u00a0 Outside, whiteout. Inside the Safeway in Tenleytown, the aisles were empty, the salad fixings gone, the milk shelves cleaned out. The only evidence of what had happened sat on the cashier’s belt in Lane 2 — a few coins and a couple of wrinkled bills that told the tale: The staff skipped out and …<\/p>\n

8.) Washington’s newest hero, able to clear tall drifts in a single pass<\/a>\u00a0He arrives in a cloud of hissing white flakes with an unmistakable whine, leaving a trail of clear pavement in his wake. He accepts no money for his work. He moves so fast and is so bundled up against the cold you might not recognize him — or even catch his name.<\/p>\n

9) Google, raising the Web’s speed limit<\/a>\u00a0 Google staked a claim on another corner of the technology universe Wednesday, saying it now wants to turbocharge your Internet connection.<\/p>\n

10) GOP hope rises in California<\/a>\u00a0 The field is getting crowded and the intrigues intense as electoral hopes rise.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Word of the Day for Thursday, February 11, 2010<\/em><\/h1>\n

coquetry<\/strong> \\KOH-ki-tree; koh-KE-tree\\, noun<\/em>:<\/p>\n

Dalliance; flirtation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Below are\u00a0links to news stories of interest from\u00a0newspapers that came up during a search\u00a0today.\u00a0\u00a0These links were active at the time of this e-mail, but should you want to save a story, printing it or cutting and pasting the entire article and saving it to\u00a0your computer is recommended.\u00a0\u00a0 State News\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 State set to cut […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4160,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-308136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/308136","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4160"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=308136"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/308136\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=308136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=308136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mereja.media\/index\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=308136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}